Large-flowered letter. Growing and Reproduction

The perennial with delicate pink or lilac flowers has become popular among gardeners for its ease of care. Among the people, it received the most affectionate names: initial letter, wild sage, darling, God's little hands. The modest, inconspicuous beauty of this plant perfectly decorates many garden plots and parks, frames the paths of country houses and sidewalks of city boulevards. It blooms throughout the summer season. Today we will tell you about how to grow such a wonderful plant on your site, and what kind of care it will require.

Morphology of a drop cap

In wild, pristine nature, the initial letter can be found growing in meadows, among the bushes of deforested forests, along the dirt roads of Siberia and the Caucasus. Description of the main parts of the plant (see photo):

the root is straight and short, the thickened rhizome has a large number of appendages;
the stem is tetrahedral, erect, completely covered with elastic hairs, the length can reach 1 m, at the very top of the stem a flower rosette is formed, its height is up to 30 cm;
leaves - the lower ones are larger and longer than the upper leaves, the edges are jagged, the leaf blade is compressed, closer to the petiole they have a rounded ovoid shape, then along the length they turn into an oblong blade with a sharp end;
flowers - collected in peculiar spikelets, shaped like cylinders, petals are collected in a bell-shaped cup of pink or lilac color;
fruits are nuts that form inside the calyx of flowers; their full ripening lasts from August to October.

Flowering initial letter

The perennial plant in nature reproduces by seeds. The nut-boxes, when ripe, burst and release small brown seeds, triangular and smooth, convex on the outside, into the soil. When planted, these seeds retain all the genetic properties of the plant.

The drop cap is valued for the healing properties inherent in this plant. It is used to prepare decoctions and tinctures to treat headaches, insomnia, feelings of anxiety and irritation, and to normalize intestinal function.

Growing a letter from seeds

The initial plant can be propagated by dividing the rhizome or by seeds. Propagation from seeds is carried out in several stages:

Selection of initial seeds: only high-quality and undamaged seeds are selected for sowing. Their fullness can be determined by soaking. To do this, pour water with potassium permanganate into the container, pour out the seeds, and stir the liquid. After 2 hours, the seeds that float to the surface are removed; they are not suitable for sowing.
Soaking: the seeds that have settled to the bottom of the container are washed and filled with fresh water, a growth stimulator is added, just a little, and kept in this solution for a day.
Sowing seeds: spread the swollen seeds on a napkin and give them time to dry slightly (1-2 hours). Using tweezers, distribute evenly on the bed or in a tray for seedlings, and pour a thin layer of loose soil on top.
Watering: moisten the soil very carefully; you can use a small watering can with small holes or a spray bottle. To preserve moisture, cover the beds with polyethylene or other moisture-proof materials. When the first shoots appear, the film can be removed.

Attention! The perennial letter has one peculiarity. Autumn planting (before winter) is more favorable for this plant. In this case, in the spring the seedlings produce friendly shoots with strong stems. When sown in the spring, such a trend is not observed; seedlings will be more rare. September and October are the best periods for sowing.

Planting the initial letter and subsequent care

Depending on the place you choose to plant the initial letter, you should prepare grooves or holes. Their depth should be no more than 2 centimeters. Prepared seeds are sown in spring, summer or late autumn. When propagated by seed, flowering begins in the third year, when planted by shoots or by dividing the root - already in the next season.

Plants such as perennial capsicum do not require any special conditions for growing; they can grow on any soil, even not very fertile soil. In garden conditions, for planting it, you can choose places where more demanding plants will not grow. These are shaded areas among fruit bushes, loamy or sandy soils. But even the most undemanding plant in the garden should look healthy and fit well into the landscape. To achieve this, several conditions must be met:

plant the capitula in loose soil with a sufficient amount of fertilizer;
water moderately, do not allow water to stagnate at the roots; if necessary, perform drainage so that irrigation or rainwater flows freely from the area of planted plants;
fertilize 1-2 times per season, do not get carried away with applying nitrogen-containing fertilizers, everything should be in moderation;
remove weeds in a timely manner, use chemicals if there are a lot of them;
carry out preventive spraying against diseases; perennial beetroot rarely gets sick, but such a measure would not be superfluous;
carry out pest control if necessary.

Advice. Rare and moderate watering of the cap will allow the plant to withstand the onslaught of rodents. With such moisture, the leaves and stems of the initial plant become tough and inaccessible to eating.

The healing properties of this modest-looking plant have long been known to many gardeners from different countries. You can also safely add the initial letter to the list of medicinal herbs grown in your garden. Find her a place among other green pets: in the garden, on an alpine hill, on the border of the house paths. You will never regret it.

Medicinal initial letter: video

The perennial plant Grandiflora will help make your garden extraordinary. It was known to the healers of Ancient Greece and Rome. Only in those days it was used only for medicinal purposes. Nowadays, people grow it mainly to decorate their gardens. Despite its popularity, you may not have heard such a name, because this plant is known under other names that prevailed in Rus', namely: motherboard, chistets, lady's hands and others. In the wild you can find it in Asia Minor, the Caucasus, and also in Kuzbass. This simple, but nevertheless spectacular flower has become popular precisely because of this.

Description of a delicate flower

All representatives of the genus capital are perennials. They have a short but thick root, on which there are a large number of adventitious roots. This fact must be taken into account during transplantation, as well as when dividing an already mature plant. The plant blooms from July to August.

The stem of the flower is erect, and its height reaches 1 meter. The leaves start from 30 cm, and differ from those familiar to us, for example, their shape is lacy around the edges, as for the surface itself - it has roughness on both sides. Their shape can be different:

Ovoid.
Petiolate.
Heart-shaped.
Wrinkled.

Peduncles decorated with flowers are formed in the axils of the upper leaves. The peduncle node is dense and multicolored, and the bracts are acute or ciliated.
Its bell-shaped calyx creates more charm for the flower, since it contains spinous teeth of a triangular shape. The inflorescences are often purple, less often found in white or lilac. The letter contains a dry fruit, which consists of four single-seeded nuts located at the bottom of the cup. Brown nuts ripen from August to October. The aroma of the initial cap is quite specific; it can be felt by rubbing its outer parts with your hands.

The world knows only 15 species of this amazing plant, but even those are not used often, although many species are grown at home. But only two types have gained the most popularity. This is due to the fact that all species are quite similar to each other and therefore there is no great need to breed various species in your flowerbed. Initial letter medicinal and large-flowered - these are the two “stars” of Russian flower beds.
Unlike the large-flowered one, the medicinal initial flower has very small inflorescences, so they are grown only for medicinal use. The remaining indicators are no different from an ordinary letter. Even the flowering time is the same - from June to August. In the wild, it is found in forests (mixed and deciduous), meadows and clearings, and slopes of the European part of Belarus, Russia, Ukraine and Siberia. Leaves, stems and flowers are used for medicinal use; the roots of this flower are practically not used in folk recipes.

The specificity lies in the bitter-salty taste, and the essential oils that the flower contains , give a peculiar smell due to the high alcohol content in it, and in addition to it, the plant contains ketone, aldehyde, phenol and others.

Plant care methods

Planting and caring for the plant is not difficult. This is due to the fact that the plant is unpretentious and resistant to severe frosts. However, this does not affect the beautiful appearance of the plant, even if you do not fertilize or feed it - in the end you will be satisfied with a blooming garden.

Unpretentiousness to the soil is the key to the popularity of this species. Almost any area is suitable for growing the initial plant, the growing season of which begins in May, and flowering in June, more often at the end. But it feels better in loamy soils, since these soils are natural for the plant - they are found in forests. When compared with other plants, it can be noted that flowering occurs for quite a long time - three weeks, but can last less.
After removing the inflorescences, which have already dried, the greenery does not lose its decorative effect and until frost, its tufts of dark green color are observed.

Reproduction

The letter can reproduce in several ways:

Vegetatively.
Seeds.

Vegetative propagation occurs by dividing the bush. This procedure is often carried out in the spring, since division in the fall does not guarantee a positive result. Also, do not forget that propagation using this method is carried out only for adult plants. Flowering with this method is observed already in the first year. Regrown shoots of at least 10 cm are used for cuttings.
Seed propagation of the initial letter does not require stratification, but it is better to plant in winter, this is how strong and hardy plants will sprout. To plant seeds, you need to create furrows 2 cm deep. If you sow the material in the spring, germination will be delayed for three weeks, and then (in rare cases) seedlings are observed.

After sowing, the soil needs to be kept moist; to do this, cover it with lutrasil or a damp bag, sprinkle it with hay or other materials.
The first year after planting it produces a low rosette of leaves, which does not exceed 15 cm. And in the fall, the new plant must be transplanted to a permanent place, while maintaining the required distance between planted seedlings (30 cm). Replanting does not harm the plant in any way, so you should not be afraid to do it.

In this article we propose to talk about the plant medicinal cap. This plant is often used in folk medicine, as it has many beneficial properties. The range of applications is very wide, you will learn about this by reading the article to the very end. The initial letter, a photo of which is provided in the next section, is used in the treatment of:

nervous exhaustion;
dizziness;
headaches;
gastrointestinal diseases;
gout;
rheumatism;
kidney inflammation;
bladder inflammation;
bronchitis;
asthma and so on.

How to use the plant, when and where to collect it, and much more will be discussed in this article.

Medicinal initial letter

Let's start with the description of the medicinal initial letter itself. This plant is considered a favorite of gardeners for its incredible beauty and a wide range of useful properties that even doctors of Ancient Rome and Greece knew. In Rus', the initial letter received a large number of names:

field sage;
scrofula;
smoke and so on.

You can see a photo of the initial letter in this section of the article. It is also very important that in medicine the medicinal letter has not found official recognition, so it will not be possible to purchase it at the pharmacy. However, it can be easily grown in your own garden plot. Flower growers pay special attention to the large-flowered cap, which can decorate any flowerbed with its purple-pink blooms.

What does a letter look like? The plant we are looking at today is a perennial. Gardeners need to know that the roots of the plant have many appendages; this should be taken into account when transplanting or dividing adult flowers. The straight stem, reaching a height of a whole meter, has pubescence in the form of hard hairs.

You need to know that the genus of initial letters is represented by fifteen species (they can be found in temperate climates). Here are some of them:

medicinal (which will be discussed in the article);
Alba variety;
Superba variety and so on.

Chemical composition

The herb officinalis has a number of beneficial properties, which is why it is still used in Tibetan medicine to this day. It can be found among forest grasses and meadow forbs.

What is the chemical composition of this plant? Stems, flowers and leaves contain:

proteins;
alkaloids;
glycosides;
essential oils;
resins;
vitamins of group K;
vitamins of group C;
betonicin;
stachydrine;
calcium salts;
anthocyanins;
choline

In addition to all of the above, it is worth noting that a large amount of fatty oil can be found in the seeds of the plant. It is important to note that the medicinal cap also contains tannins.

Collection

It is worth noting that this plant is very unpretentious. Even a novice gardener can grow it. The plant is content with ordinary garden soil, but in order for the flowers to be tall and even, a sunny meadow is needed. The growing season occurs in May, and the plant blooms in early July. Compared to other perennials, the initial flower blooms for quite a long time (about three weeks).

If you are going to use the plant for medicinal purposes, then collection must be done at the time of flowering. How to harvest? It is necessary to carefully cut off the stems with basal leaves. Next, the resulting raw materials must be dried in the sun, the room must be well ventilated (it is better to do this outside). When the herb dries out, it takes on an unpleasant and bitter taste. The resulting raw materials can be stored for up to two years.

If you want the initial flower to bloom again next year, then you should not cut off the entire plant at the root for stocking purposes. Leave about ten percent of all thickets.

Beneficial features

What parts of the plant are used for medicinal purposes:

leaves;
stems;
flowers;
roots.

In the previous paragraph, it was mentioned how to collect the green part of the plant. It is worth noting that the roots are stored a little longer (three years). The only necessary condition is a dry and ventilated room.

All these parts are used for medical purposes. What properties does the plant have:

anti-inflammatory;
expectorant;
choleretic.

Drugs based on the initial letter can have the following effects:

soothing;
painkiller;
reducing pressure.

In addition, the plant has a beneficial effect on metabolic processes in the body and blood circulation, and improves digestion. Folk remedies based on the initial letter are used in the following cases:

nervous excitability;
epilepsy;
constipation;
dizziness;
migraine;
asthma;
general weakness of the body;
treatment of ulcers;
wound treatment

Application

Now let's talk a little about the use of the medicinal letter. As mentioned earlier, medicine has not recognized this plant; it cannot be bought ready-made in a pharmacy. But you can grow it on your site and make your own supplies of such useful raw materials. The use of initial letters in folk medicine is very wide. It is used for cystitis, epilepsy, bronchitis and so on. It is especially important to pay attention to the astringent and healing properties of the plant.

The roots of the plant are used to make decoctions and infusions, which are used for the following purposes:

laxative;
treatment of colitis;
improved appetite;
help with liver and kidney diseases;
gastritis;
diseases of the nervous system.

The above-ground part of the plant is used to prepare infusions for treatment:

radiculitis;
gout;
cystitis;
neurosis;
atherosclerosis;
kidney diseases;
hypertension.

Another feature of the initial cap is the ability to quickly stop bleeding. Tinctures are often used for pulmonary and uterine bleeding.

Treatment

Forest herbs are often used in folk medicine, as their effectiveness has been tested for several generations. The medicinal letter is no exception. Stocks of this raw material never hurt; if necessary, you can take the right amount and use “grandmother’s advice” when treating any disease. For medicinal purposes the following is prepared:

Herb tea	One teaspoon of dry herb is poured into a glass of boiling water and infused for fifteen minutes. Strain the finished tea and use as directed. A maximum of three glasses of the resulting tea can be drunk per day.
Leaf infusion	To prepare, you will need a tablespoon of raw materials and a glass of boiling water. You need to insist for two hours. After this, the infusion is filtered and taken two tablespoons four times a day before meals.
Root decoction	You need to weigh twenty grams of dry plant roots and pour a glass of water. After this, you need to boil the broth for twenty minutes. You need to take the resulting product one tablespoon three times a day as a laxative.
Tincture of flowers	Grind the raw materials, take a glass jar and fill it exactly one third with flowers. Next, you need to pour vodka to the brim. Place the resulting mixture in a dark place for two weeks. Next, you need to strain the tincture. Take twenty drops for high blood pressure, nervous disorders and fainting. If necessary, can be diluted with a small amount of water.

Application in gynecology

Please note that treatment with folk remedies should be discussed with your doctor. If you have no contraindications, then you can start treatment.

In this section we will talk about how a medicinal letter can help with gynecological diseases. It has already been said that it has analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties, in addition, it can stop bleeding. Due to these features, it is used in gynecology. For gynecological diseases, the letter can be used in powder form, one teaspoon three times a day. Please note that only the leaves of the plant need to be ground into powder.

When the uterus prolapses, you can use a decoction. To prepare the daily dose, you need to pour three tablespoons of dry herb with three glasses of water and boil the resulting mixture for fifteen minutes. The broth should be strained and drunk in four doses an hour before meals.

Inflammation and pulmonary tuberculosis

Tinctures and decoctions of the leaves of the letter are used to treat the lungs. Now we will talk about diseases such as inflammation and tuberculosis.

For inflammation, you need to prepare a tincture. Again, we take the calculation for the daily dose. We will need:

one tablespoon of dry initial letter;
liter of boiling water.

Mix the ingredients and leave for an hour. The decoction must be strained and drunk in one day. How many techniques to do is a personal matter for everyone. It is important to note that medicines based on this plant are best taken shortly before meals. The resulting decoction can be sweetened with honey. The course of treatment in this case lasts three weeks.

For tuberculosis, you can prepare a decoction:

one tablespoon of crushed cap leaves;
one glass of water;
two tablespoons of port wine.

Mix everything and boil for twenty-five minutes. The decoction should be filtered and taken cold, fifty grams daily.

Sweaty feet

The herb capitol can even relieve you of the problem of excessive sweating of your feet. To do this, you need to take daily foot baths before bed using a decoction. To prepare, you need to mix two hundred grams of raw materials with three liters of boiled water. The mixture should infuse for half an hour. Next, you need to strain and take a bath. Please note that the approximate duration of the procedure is fifteen minutes.

Contraindications and side effects

Indications for use were described in detail above, now we focus on side effects and contraindications.

Under no circumstances should pregnant or lactating women use products based on this plant. Others can use the letter for medical purposes only after consulting with their doctor. There are no side effects if you follow the correct dosage.

The medicinal letter is a time-tested remedy; you should not be afraid to use medicinal herbs to treat diseases. Even experienced doctors sometimes recommend resorting to traditional recipes. However, do not self-medicate under any circumstances.

If you overwater a plant, not only its appearance will suffer. In such circumstances, the initial letter is often attacked by slugs. The main danger they pose is not only for the decorative appearance of the above-ground parts, they can easily eat the roots of the plant.

To combat these pests, chemicals alone are not enough. We recommend preventing the development of weeds, promptly collecting ripe fruits and removing fallen ones. In the evening, slugs crawl out of their shelters and can be removed mechanically.

Traps help a lot. You need to lubricate a small surface (a board, a piece of old linoleum, the bottom of a box) with something sweet and sour and put it in a damp and cool place. By evening, a mass of these pests will gather under it.

If there are slugs in the area, it is worth scattering ashes under the plants. This will make it difficult for them to move. It is necessary to regularly loosen the soil to find and destroy nests.

Reproduction methods

The capital letter grandiflora reproduces:

Dividing bushes in spring
Seeds
Cuttings

The most reliable way. In the spring, as soon as the plant completely emerges from the ground and rises to a height of 20 cm, the bush is dug up. The rhizome is divided into several parts depending on its size. Plants are planted at a distance of 30 cm. Division can be carried out in August.

When planted in spring, the plants bloom the same year, but the flowering is not abundant.

It is more difficult to grow capitula seeds, as they must undergo stratification over several months. At home, it is not always possible to ensure the proper temperature regime. It’s easier to sow the seeds of a drop cap before winter. Flowering when sown with seeds can be expected after 2 or 3 years.

Not every gardener will agree to disturb the picture of his flowerbed. An adult plant blooms beautifully and luxuriantly. I don't dare dig it up. There is a more humane method of propagation - cuttings. The cutting is broken out from the base of the bush with a piece of root. After placing it in Zircon or Kornevin for several hours, the cutting is planted in a seed bed with light soil.

After two to three weeks, small roots will form. The young plant should be transplanted to a permanent place no earlier than after two months.

For decorative purposes, the peduncle is cut off. But if this is not done, the seeds will ripen and scatter near the bush. In the spring, the seedlings can be carefully transplanted to another location.

Role in the garden

The initial letter has qualities for which the plant becomes a favorite and constant participant:

Flower garden in natural style. A duet with white bells and cereals will remind the viewer of a mountain meadow.
Provencal style. A group of five or seven plants planted side by side will completely create the illusion of lavender blooming.
Border decorations. An initial planted as a border will ensure its decorative appearance throughout the season.

While watching the video you will learn more about the cap letter grandiflora.

Nature is a visual aid for a gardener. Take her example and place the letter in your garden.

Initial letter or Betonica are herbaceous plants that belong to the genus Lamiaceae. This plant is a perennial. The root system is straight, short and thick, with many adventitious roots growing on it. The stem has a characteristic feature: it is tetrahedral. It can reach a height of about a meter and has long hairs of a coarse texture. The sheets are located above the ground at a height of thirty centimeters. The leaves have an unusual shape, their edges resemble lace, which looks very beautiful and attracts attention, among other things. The leaves of this plant are oblong and heart-shaped, the structure of the leaf is wrinkled, covered with hairs on both sides. The roots of the lower leaves are longer than the upper ones.

The flower stalks have no leaves, they grow up to a meter or more, and large pink flowers bloom on them. The formation of flowers occurs in the axils of the leaves, which grow at the very top; they are formed into inflorescences that are shaped like a cylinder.

The drop cap comes in over fifteen species that can be found in temperate climates around the globe.

– this plant grows in nature, it can often be found in meadows and elevated areas. This plant has many healing properties that have long been recognized, and is also used in Tibetan medicine. For medicinal purposes, the plant is collected during the flowering period; the root system is not often used. The most useful properties of the plant are considered to be: choleretic, anti-inflammatory, expectorant properties. Medicines that are made based on the initial letter have many useful functions: they relieve pain, calm the nervous system, can reduce blood pressure, help normalize metabolism, and help with problems with digestion and blood circulation.

- This plant most often grows in the Alps in meadows. In addition, in its natural state it can be found in the Caucasus and Asia. The peculiarity of this plant is that it is very unpretentious, and also has a very attractive appearance. The skeleton of a plant can be determined by its leaves, which are rarely more than thirty centimeters. The inflorescences of this plant are short and capitate in shape. The leaves are very impressive in appearance, they are colored dark green and have an unusual texture. The flowers of the initial letter can be of different shades, starting with lilac, continuing with pink, and ending with crimson flowers. In appearance, the flowers look like a tiny orchid.

Landing

Due to the fact that large-leaved capitula is an unpretentious plant, it can be planted and grown in a wide variety of places and areas. In order for the plant to grow and develop properly, you should take into account the main points that are characteristic of this plant:

the place where the drop cap will grow must be sunny so that the plant receives a sufficient amount of sunlight;
In order for the plant to be strong and give abundant color, it must be planted in fertile soil;
In order for the plant to develop properly and not get sick, it needs to be provided with drainage. When preparing a hole for the initial, you should provide a drainage layer that will help the roots not to rot when there is an excess of moisture and not to dry out when there is no water for a long time.

Planting large-leaved capitula in open soil can be done in spring, autumn and directly in summer. In the spring, it is very convenient to plant the initial plant, because after the winter snows there is a lot of water left in the soil and it is very nutritious. Before the onset of summer and the hot period, the drop cap has some interval when it can take root and feel normal in any weather. In the summer, plant replanting is more demanding, because constant watering must be provided, preferably a drip irrigation system. If you plant the initial plant in the fall, then this must be done before the end of September, so that only the planted plant can prepare for winter frosts.

Propagation of the initial plant occurs in several ways, this can be by dividing the bush into smaller ones, propagation using seeds or using cuttings. The best way is considered to be dividing the bush, which is done in the spring, when the bush has fully sprouted and its height is at least twenty centimeters. The initial plant needs to be completely dug up, divided into smaller shrubs and planted. The distance between young plants should be at least thirty centimeters. You can divide the bush at the end of summer. If the initial letter was divided in the spring, then it will bloom in the same year.

Growing caps with seeds is a more complicated procedure, because they must be germinated at home for several months. A cap plant planted with seeds will bloom in two or even three years.

Reproduction by cuttings occurs in a slightly different way. The cutting is broken off from the plant at the very base of the bush, and part of the root also breaks off. The cuttings need to be dipped in Kornevin’s solution for an hour or two, after which it is planted in the ground with prepared soil. Transplanting the plant to another, its permanent location should take place no earlier than two months later.

Plant care

When planning the care of the plant, you should remember the conditions in which the cap grows in nature; this plant grows in the meadows of the Caucasus, where the hot sun bakes and there is not a lot of moisture, so it has become hardy to unfavorable conditions and does not require much attention to itself .

To grow a healthy and beautiful plant, you need to take the most basic measures to care for the letter, namely:

Providing watering, which should be quite rare, but constant;
Adding complex fertilizers if the soil is very poor and any plants grow poorly on it;
In order for the large-leaved capitula to please with its flowering, you need to help it a little and remove wilted flowers;
Any plant can grow comfortably if there are no extra weeds near it that take away its light and moisture, so you should keep an eye on this, in addition, you should periodically loosen the soil around the plants.

The initial plant needs moisture after planting so that the rooting process goes quickly and correctly, and in the future, this plant needs to be watered only once a week, this is the main care for it. If the large-leaved capital letter undergoes drought for a long time, then this does not affect the appearance in any way. The plant completely retains its beautiful and original appearance. But an excess of water has a destructive effect on the plant, it contributes to the destruction of leaves, distortion of the root cushion, stretching of the peduncle and deterioration of flowering.

Caring for the initial plant also involves adding fertilizers, which is done three times a season, in the spring, when the plant becomes more active. When sprouts appear from the ground, you need to loosen the soil around the plant, mix it with fertilizer and water it well. The letter is fertilized a second time before it blooms. When a plant has thrown out a peduncle, you need to help it with additional forces, which is why fertilizers are added; it is best to mix organic and mineral. Half a bucket of manure and a pinch of fertilizer will help the initial flower get the strength to bloom. In autumn, fertilizers are applied after the plant has completely finished flowering. Peduncles are trimmed and fertilized with fertilizers that should not contain nitrogen. With the help of such care, the large-leaved initial cap will always delight with its beauty.